The Baltimore Society for Psychoanalytic Studies

Committed to increasing the knowledge and application of psychoanalytic theory

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Presents

Samuel T. Goldberg, MD, DFAPA

“Reflections on Shakespeare’s Hamlet”

Sunday, January 20, 2019

at

The Sheppard Pratt Conference Center

6501 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD, 21204

Conference 10AM-1PM

Sign-in, Registration, and Networking: 9:30 AM

Program Description:

Note: The title has been changed from the one on the “Save the Dates.” Please read Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” in the weeks before the presentation.

Written during the turbulent Protestant Reformation, Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” expresses a momentous shift toward human inwardness. This presentation will examine manifestations of expanded consciousness from two perspectives, one Biblical and the other psychoanalytic. While Freud and John Calvin were opposites regarding belief in God, they were remarkably in agreement on the nature of the human psyche.

First, we will briefly review some theology of the Reformation, the context in which Hamlet’s awareness of his situation became paralyzing. Then we’ll review in greater detail his meditations on the corruptibility of the body, the fallen world, and the souls therein. Finally, we’ll interpret his experiences and behaviors psychoanalytically. We might ponder how the two conceptions of human intrapsychic conflict –Christian and the psychoanalytic-- do or do not coincide.

About the Speaker:

Samuel T. Goldberg, MD, is a Training Analyst at the Washington-Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, and a member of the Center for Advanced Psychoanalytic Studies at Princeton, New Jersey. He has presented on the tragedies of William Shakespeare at the Folger Shakespeare Theater and elsewhere. He is co-author, with the late William Goldstein, of the book, Using the Transference in Psychotherapy (2006, Jason Aronson).

Learning Objectives:

At the end of this program, participants will be able to:

Explain John Calvin’s concept of “sin” in the context of the psychoanalytic concept of intrapsychic conflict.

Discuss how the morality of vengeance conflicts with the morality of forgiveness, from both Biblical and psychoanalytic perspectives.

Discuss how unconscious factors may lead to tragedy in terms of psychoanalytic theory.

Who should attend? Mental health professionals: psychiatrists, psychologists, clinical social workers, licensed professional counselors, pastoral counselors, as well as persons with an interest in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic thinking and application. The instructional level of this activity is advanced.

CE Credits: CE credits are granted to participants with documented attendance and completed evaluation forms. Attendance is monitored. Credits will not be granted to registrants who arrive late or depart early. Credits will be granted to participants who submit a completed evaluation form at the end of the session. It is the responsibility of participants to comply with these requirements. Upon completion of this program, participants will be given 3 CE credits. This program is being co-sponsored by The Contemporary Freudian Society (CFS). The Contemporary Freudian Society is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

The Contemporary Freudian Society maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Baltimore Society for Psychoanalytic Studies is recognized by the Maryland Board of Social Work Examiners as a sponsor of continuing education activities.